Tortuga
Tortuga is an infamous skyland whose location shifted significantly after the Tortugan Upheaval to a point northwest of the Fuseli Group. Since its discovery and colonization, Tortuga remained free from the grip of inter-faction politics until a faction war resulted in the obliteration of much of its population and infrastructure and prompted the government to flee to Volstoy. Because of its traditionally neutral status, Tortuga is renowned as a haven for pirates and criminals. It is assumed that local authorities accept such individuals because they continue to bring business to Tortugan trade depots (and underground markets). After the skyland was conquered by the Crimson Armada during the Tortugan Upheaval, the pirates were driven out and the black market was suppressed. From the official "Discovered Skylands" page: "In the days following the Upheaval, bands of pirates stormed across the skies leaving chaos in their wake. At the same time, like shepherds guarding their flock, they would radio ahead to skylands when harsh weather conditions were about to hit. In this manner, both the pirates and the skylands were able to eke out a survival. As time passed, and communication and aircrafts grew better, the pirates saw the need to begin to unify, and Tortuga became the de facto base of pirate operations, ruled by its Pirate Lords. Never communicating to the outside world, their emissary was a badger by the name of Lord Gilbert who served as not only diplomat, but records keeper for all of Skytopia. In recent years, a huge swell of Unobtanium burst forth from the sea underneath Tortuga, threatening the skyland with imminent explosions. Lord Gilbert petitioned the factions to come to the skyland's aid. Of these, the Green Republic and the Azure League helped, while the Crimson Armada took the opportunity to try and seize control of the Skyland. In the end, Tortuga was saved albeit in a much damaged state. Lord Gilbert resigned his post, and the pirates of Skytopia once more became a free body, loosely controlled by their lords. Tortuga, while officially under Red control, has remained a haven of scum and villainy to this day. More recently, an upswelling of support from the Skytopians (chaired by 4 honorable and generous Skyrates) put together a large donation to help rebuild the Skyland. The Tortugans were able to recover, and created a monument to that generosity." Places and organizations The Free Skybrary was located on Tortuga due to its neutrality, but was forced to evacuate with the rest of the civilian population during the Upheaval, eventually reestablishing on Echo. Tortuga University (Go Fighting Sailfish!) is located on Tortuga. Its mascot is The Rocketeers. The Tortugan Gallery of Modern Art, or ToGoMA, boasts one of the largest collection of art in skytopia. It additionally hosts traveling exhibits, that rotate through on a regular schedule. Tortuga is represented in the Grimby professional leagues by The Pirates, who play in the Vermillion Division. People ;Lord Gilbert :Served as Tortuga's envoy to Skytopia until the Tortugan Upheaval. He is currently Dean of the Echo Academy of Flight. Skyrates *Prince Harris Etymology Tortuga is an island off the northern coast of Haiti, the name meaning turtle in Spanish. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Tortuga was infamous as a haven for pirates. External links *Skyland facts by Prince Harris *Skyland facts by Eskay *Skyland facts by George Stallengrant Category:Skylands